The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Bought by Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co.

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 5.3%, owning 49,074 shares valued at approximately $4.8 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Walt Disney received several analyst upgrades, with Wolfe Research raising its rating to "outperform" and a price target set at $112.00, contributing to a general positive outlook with an average price target of $128.70 across analysts.
• In its most recent earnings report, Disney exceeded earnings expectations with an EPS of $1.45 and reported revenues of $23.62 billion, showcasing a year-over-year revenue growth of 7%.

Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 5.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,074 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 2,486 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co.'s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DIS. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,242,415 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,476,693,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,431 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 4.2% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,821,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,758,968,000 after purchasing an additional 717,066 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,867,017 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,878,142,000 after buying an additional 3,016,339 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,136,276 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,240,025,000 after buying an additional 192,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,523,946 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $837,775,000 after buying an additional 163,845 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on DIS shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 20th. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.70.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at $5,190,748.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $116.57 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $118.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.56. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The firm's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Profile

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.

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